Four people charged following probe into organized auto theft in Milton, Oakville

Independent Free Press

Four people face multiple charges following a Halton police investigation into organized auto theft in Milton and Oakville.

Police say that since the fall of 2013, they identified a trend in auto thefts that were occurring in Milton and Oakville.

During the incidents, a number of vehicles had been stolen from residential driveways overnight. In each instance, police say, there was no apparent forced entry into the vehicle, and the keys remained in the possession of the owners.

Police began an extensive investigation involving members of the Milton and Oakville criminal investigations bureaus along with several external partnering agencies.

The investigation identified a number of high-end vehicles that had vanished from driveways in Milton, Oakville, York Region, Peel Region and Toronto, police say.

Over the course of the lengthy investigation, officers worked in cooperation with representatives from Toyota Canada, local car dealerships, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the National Insurance Crime Bureau in the United States.

Auto theft investigators from the Peel, York and Toronto police services also assisted in the case.

The collaborative investigation eventually led to the identification of several suspects alleged to be involved in an organized network of auto thieves from across the GTA. Halton police estimate the total approximate value of the stolen vehicles related to the charges against the suspects to be more than $700,000.

Four Toronto men have been arrested and charged in connection with a series of vehicle thefts that occurred in Oakville, Peel Region and Toronto from December 2013 to March 2014.

Charged are:

Yusuf Omer, 22, with theft of motor vehicle (21 counts), attempt theft of motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of break in instruments, breach of an undertaking and fail to appear in court

Yusuf Muse, 21, with attempt theft of motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of break in instruments and breach of probation

Abdulkadir AbiIrashid, 21, with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 (two counts) and breach of probation

Manuel Boadu-Twun, 35, with theft of motor vehicle, attempt theft of motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and possession of break In instruments.

The suspects were arrested in March and April and have made appearances in Milton court.

On June 30, Omer was arrested and charged with an additional 21 counts of theft of motor vehicle. He was to appear by video in Hamilton court for a bail hearing today.